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- An archaic style of Lithuanian polyphonic folk music (also known as the sutartines) was centuries ago spread in a small area of Northeastern Lithuania, an area now designated as the northeastern Uplands, wich nearly coincides with the territory previously settled by the Baltic tribe called Selia, or Selonias. Among the most characteristic features of this style intrinsic both of the vocal and instrumental traditions are often use of the second-based harmonies and the complementary pattering of rythms. In instrumental polyphonic tradition one can differentiate between two main varieties of sutartines: 1. the moledias of vocal origin, either blown by two (sometimes three) people on various woodwing instruments, or played on the five-stringed kankles (lithuanian zither) by one musician; 2.purely instrumental music played on sets of woodwind instruments, usually consisting of five (in rare cases - 4) ragai (wooden trumpets, horns) or 5-8 'multi-pipe whistles'.
The tradition of performing the sutartines starts to revive in the urban folklore ensembles. This development started in the late 1960s when the sutartines were first sung in concert by the Folklore Theatre Group, directed by Povilas Mataitis. Modern sutarines chanters and instrumental polyphonic folk music players usually perform the sutartines previously transcribed and published in various ethographic collections. These ensembles strive to maintain the continuity of this obsolete tradition, albeit in somewhat altered forms.
- The aim of this edition is to reflect in more detail great variety the Lithuanian Folk Music. This first CD of set 'Sutartines' presents to the listener polyphonic music for skuduciai (multi-pipe whistles) and vocal sutarines played on kanles (Lithuanian zither).
- Lithuania
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